Where To Buy Digital Cameras, Mobile phones, Computer Notebooks and Other Electronic Goods In Singapore?
SIM LIM SQUARE
Sim Lim Square is the de-facto geek place to be and it is our own Akihabara equivalent. First three floors are mainly catered to shops selling consumer electronic goods such as cameras, viewcams, mobile phones and etc. The 4th to 6th stories are catered to computer products and accessoies such as notebooks, computer hardwares, memory cards, handphone accessories. Most of the shops from the 1st to 3rd floor do NOT have price tags and there were reported cases of rip-offs encountered by tourists and locals alike. The situation from the 4th to 6th floor are entirely different. Most shops prominently display their printed price lists or signboards outside their shops for shoppers to make comparison of the prices and complaints of cheating are relatively rare due to the competitive nature of the trade.
If you are looking for counterfeit goods or DVDs, you will be disappointed due to the heavy clamp-down from the police over the years. Overall, we would not advise tourists to visit Sim Lim Square for electronic goods. On the other hand, the computers and accessories are one of the cheapest in the region. Bargaining is possible on the first three floors if you know your products well, else better to shop around to avoid being cheated and make sure you ask if the price quoted include the tax (GST) and include all the accessories. For the computer shops from 4-6th floors, they typically do not entertain bargaining unless you buy in large quantities. As the margin is thin, these shops typically do not accept credit cards unless you are prepared to pay 2% more on top of the quoted price. There are also some repair shops and shops selling refurbished/second-hand notebooks and computers on the obscured corners on the 4th and 5th floors.
Opening hours are daily from 10am to 9pm for most shops.
FUNAN
Funan is an up-market equivalent of Sim Lim Square, prices are either the same or slightly more expensive compared to Sim Lim Square. Funan specialises in notebook computers, you can find many shops specialise in almost every major brands including Apple, Lenovo, Fujitsu, Sony, Asus etc. Another major draw of Funan is its anchor tenant Challenger, the only computer megastore chain in town, located on the 6th floor which stock up the most comprehensive computer accessories available.
Opening hours are daily from 10am to 9pm for most shops.
MUSTAFA
Mustafa has established over the years as the place where tourists go-to place for cheap consumer products such as cameras, mobile phones, mp3 players and viewcams. Located in Little India, the place is accessible via MRT.
MEGASTORES
Most locals patronise the three electronic megastores in Singapore from everything from computers, LCD TVs, shavers, refrigerators. The three megastores are Best Denki, Courts and Harvey Norman. There are at least one such store located in most major shopping malls in Singapore. Some shopping malls that have more than one electronic megastores include Jurong Points and Funan. Their prices for electronic goods are generally more expensive than Sim Lim Square and Mustafa except the promotional items. Prices in these three megastores are typically the same as most prices are set by the distributors to avoid undercutting of prices. You get piece-of-mind and good services from these three megastores.
Typical opening hours are daily from 11am to 10pm.
COMPUTER SHOWs (aka PC Shows)
Another place that locals typically buy their consumer electronics and computer notebooks are the Computer Shows which happens four times a year which offen coincides with the school holidays in Singapore (Mar, Jun, Sep and Dec). The name Computer Show is a misnomer as you do find many non-computer products such as LCD TVs, digital cameras, mobile phones, GPS navigators, MP3 players, projectors, credit card promotions and even health care products on display. The Computer Show is known by the various trade name such as PC Show, IT Show, Comex and Sitex and are often held at either Suntec Convention Halls or Singapore Expo. Looks out for the announcement of the next PC Show at What's New (or search for keyword next computer show).
Last updated on Jan 2010